How Kyle MacLachlan Really Feels About Denis Villeneuve's Dune Movies

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Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel "Dune" is one of those books that seemed to immediately have a movie adaptation in the works — and has always seemed to have a movie adaptation in the works. But thus far, only three "Dune" films have actually made it to the big screen. The first was released in 1984 and is written and directed by David Lynch. The most recent to actually get beyond the planning phases is courtesy of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, who decided to turn it into a trilogy of which the final installment is still forthcoming. 

It's not exactly controversial to proclaim Villeneuve's versions superior. Lynch's "Dune" bombed at the box office, and whatever fanbase it might have that tries to proclaim it a cult classic is no doubt a fairly small-sized one. But what about the people who were actually involved with making it? Actor Kyle MacLachlan, playing Paul Atreides, had the misfortune of it being his first ever movie — and he faced a major career setback after its failure. It would be tough to blame him if he wanted nothing to do with any discussions of any versions of "Dune" ever again. 

However, the ever cordial and good-natured MacLachlan has always been willing to talk about Villeneuve's "Dune" films. In 2022, the actor spoke about watching the first installment with Entertainment Tonight. "I remember I was smiling ear to ear. It really was fun," he said, before joking about that dang box. "When Timmy [Chalamet] puts his hand in the box, I'm like, 'That's gonna hurt. Don't do that.' But he didn't listen to me, of course." In a 2024 interview with Inverse, MacLachlan noted the wise decision of stretching the story out with three films instead of trying to cram everything into one. "In our original one, it was one movie. We were trying to do everything in just one film, which was impossible."

Of course, Kyle MacLachlan's career would prove to be just fine. He even continued working with David Lynch, playing what would be his breakout character — agent Dale Cooper — in the surreal crime drama series "Twin Peaks." More recently, the actor has been one of the reasons behind "Fallout" blowing everyone away, helping to bring to life an incredibly popular and complex video game franchise.

But since he apparently has no ill will towards "Dune" or the ways it made the early years of his career difficult, people have wondered if MacLachlan would be interested in making a cameo in the one of the new "Dune" films. After all, it tends to be a common practice when rebooting a property to have a few of the OGs show up for at least a quick appearance. It hasn't happened yet, but "Dune: Part Three" is still forthcoming, so could MacLachlan be returning to Arrakis?

When asked about this by MovieWeb in 2024, MacLachlan seemed to make it clear that the franchise was in the past for him as an actor. "You know, I've done my 'Dune' work," he told the outlet. Admitting that he had yet to see "Dune: Part Two" at that point, MacLachlan continued, "Anytime I can go see something that has anything 'Dune'-related, I will be happy. And I think they did a marvelous job. So, I look forward to seeing it." Of course, Chris Evans swore and swore he wasn't going to be in "Avengers: Doomsday" either!